Lost, then found

ABC series creators have an exit strategy.

January 17, 2009|Tom Jicha and Sharon Robb

Los Angeles — Damon Lindelof, co-creator of Lost, has a message for anyone trying to deduce where the ABC series is going: You've been wasting your time.

If you really want to get the most out of Lost, he said Friday during the TV press tour, stop trying to think ahead and just go with the flow: "I think viewers who appreciate the journey more than the destination enjoy the show most."

Lindelof's partner, Carlton Cuse, reiterated that the plots didn't really become focused until Lost, which returns Wednesday for its fifth season, was given an end date.

"We got to a point in season three where we knew we were trending into an era of suckiness," Cuse said. "We knew we needed an end date or we were going to wind up canceled within a year, year and a half."

Being told they had 48 episodes over three seasons to wrap up the story - the new season is the penultimate one - "completely liberated us," Lindelof said. "It allowed us to plan. . . . There was no need for any more 'stall' episodes, with Jack flying a kite on the beach."

While he discourages trying to outthink the writers, Lindelof did allow that fans who guessed that time travel is a key element have been on the right track.

"We have been in time travel the past four years," he said. "This year we're making it more apparent. This represents a plunge toward the end point that is irreversible."

This season will be evenly split between those who have escaped the island and those who remained behind. Of the latter group, Sawyer (Josh Holloway) probably has the most prominence - Lindelof has been quoted as calling the upcoming episodes "the season of Sawyer."

"For people not into time travel," Lindelof quipped, "we made sure to have Sawyer take his shirt off."

- Tom Jicha

Madonna horses around in Palm

Madonna is the latest celebrity to join the FTI Wellington Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.

For two weeks, she will be working with a British riding coach at the multimillion-dollar 14-ring facility. Two of Madonna's horses, Boris and Silver Lining, were flown in from Great Britain for the event.

If Madonna decides to attend Sunday's $50,000 Equisport Agency Grand Prix, she'll have plenty of celebrity company: Bruce Springsteen, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and CNN commentator Lou Dobbs will all be there to watch their Olympic-hopeful daughters participate.